My tip totally depends on the service, if the service is average/normal I tip 18 - 20%, if the service is phenomenal then I tip more then 20%. On the flip side, if the service is abominable then I have been known tip less then 15%, in fact a few times I have given the busboy money directly and not tipped the waiter (though that is not the norm...). But, I live in San Francisco and I know the cost of living is high so I generally tip at least 18%.

We normall tip 20% if it's good service and more if it's great, they did something special for an occasion, or my kid made a bit of a mess. But if it's crappy service it's usually less that 15%

*normally

Yeah, Philly!

I am a Philadelphian and I always tip at least 20%, unless the service is dreadful.

I, too am from Philly
I tip according to service, but never less than 15%.

I'm from New Zealand and we don't tip at all here, it's not part of our culture, so it all seems quite strange to me. Service jobs, retail jobs, most student jobs - actually a lot of jobs in general - have low wages, but you don't get tips to make it up. You just have to deal with the low wages, unfortunately.

20% is considered a good sized tip here. My boyfriend leaves huge tips most of the time, generally 20% or more, whereas I'm a bit more modest -- mostly because I'm a hell of alot harder to please.

I serve, and it's all across the board as far as tips go. I usually go home with around 15% after tipping out kitchen, bar, and bus. I'd like it to be more, but there's always the odd table that insists on being a f*cking douchebag and leave less than 10% (the expected/customary minimum, no matter what), or even $0. I HATE THOSE PEOPLE.

i think that it's just a sense of how good the service is there and maybe it has to do with the nature of the area too. i think that being a tourist town, there's something to be said for that - and being a city with a bit more money flowing in an out from people who are 'locals' - that helps as well.

i grew up not far from philly and i don't think that my spending habits were any different there vs. what i tipped in NYC or even at home. i try to stick close to 20% but if i'm not getting good service = you'll see that in the tip

I live in NYC and tip 15% because I'm a student. The high cost of living here just means most people can't afford to give huge tips.

I'm a 20% and up tipper if the service was decent or more. I don't think I've ever gone below 15%.

We actually went out to dinner last night and got pretty bad service. The waiter left us to rot on the patio for about a half hour after we ordered (I had to go inside and find him to get us another round of drinks), and when my fiance discovered that his chicken was raw in the middle and the whole dish covered in gravy he'd specifically asked NOT to have, the waiter didn't even bother pretending to care or be sorry or concerned. The food issues weren't his fault, but he certainly didn't help.

It was too bad for him as well, because when we went in we had been planning to tip at least 20% out of general principle. In the end, he got 15% on the dot.

Philadelphia has Stephen Starr restaurants popping up all of the time, and you really can't eat at them without tipping well. I'm a regular at a few Center City restaurants and the service is consistent, timely, and friendly. They don't have the theatrics of NYC , but I've always enjoyed my dining out experience in Philly more than anywhere else.